Chapter 98: The Persian Civil War

Chen Mu also arranged for several Daxia people fluent in Persian to serve as advisors and oversee the governance of Persia.

Among them was this man.

"Xu Shan, what is the current situation in Persia?" Chen Mu asked.

Xu Shan replied, "Your Highness, a month ago, the former Persian king led his troops to attack the Persian capital. Our advisory group, seeing that the enemy forces were weak, left the city to engage them."

"Unexpectedly, the former Persian king had allied with the Western Qiang tribes, who launched a surprise attack. The Persian army suffered a crushing defeat. The capital soon fell, and our forces were forced into retreat. That is why I have come to request aid."

"The remaining strength of the Persian army is minimal. I estimate they have already been driven out of Persian territory by now."

Currently, all Daxia’s vassal states had signed the Rus’ Treaty, which stipulated that in the event of foreign invasion, they could request military assistance from Daxia.

No one expected that, so soon after signing, Persia would be attacked.

Chen Mu nodded.

"This may not be a bad thing—it gives us a chance to eradicate all who support the former Persian king within Persia’s borders."

"Father, I humbly request thirty thousand elite soldiers to help Persia reclaim its lost lands, and then pursue a campaign against the Western Qiang to display Daxia’s might."

Chen Xingtian replied, "Granted! Let those barbarians see what we’re capable of!"

Once the plan was decided, Chen Mu assembled five thousand Indomitable Flying Troops, five thousand Unyielding Flying Troops, ten thousand cavalry, and ten thousand reserves, and set out for Persia.

The Indomitable and Unyielding Flying Troops were the main force for urban combat, the cavalry excelled in open field engagements, and the reserves were responsible for transporting supplies and maintaining order.

As for the local Persian army, there was little hope to rely on them.

Upon reaching the front lines, Chen Mu discovered that the new Persian regime had not been entirely driven out; they were still holding the last remaining city.

The border garrison had already mobilized, patrolling between Dong’an City in eastern Persia and Wen’an County in Daxia’s Xishan region to prevent enemy forces from bypassing Dong’an City and striking at Daxia.

After resupplying there, Chen Mu marched straight to Dong’an City. His army set up camp east of the city, and Chen Mu led his men inside.

The new Persian king, upon seeing Chen Mu, greeted him with tears of joy, as though welcoming family.

After the formalities, Chen Mu asked, "What is the status of the enemy forces?"

The new Persian king, who spoke Daxia’s language, began his report directly.

The Persian army still had five thousand men, but they were hastily assembled and had only undergone basic formation drills within the city.

The former Persian king’s forces numbered ten thousand, some of whom were former border guards along the Persian–Western Qiang frontier and were quite battle-hardened. The rest were new recruits, but even they had received training and were far more formidable than the new Persian king’s troops.

The Western Qiang army consisted of only five thousand cavalry, but their combat prowess was extraordinary, especially in mounted archery. They could control their horses with their legs, firing arrows with both hands while galloping.

Hearing this, Chen Mu’s expression grew grave.

The Western Qiang’s mounted archery was a remarkable skill; in the history of Chen Mu’s previous life, this very technique had once routed the finest Chinese cavalry.

The Western Qiang had no saddles or stirrups—riding bareback, yet still able to shoot with deadly accuracy. Even the Xiongnu and Donghu peoples did not possess such skill.

While Daxia’s cavalry could fire repeating crossbows on horseback, operating a crossbow was much easier than drawing a bow, allowing soldiers to control their mounts with one hand and shoot with the other.

However, the range of the repeating crossbow was far less than that of the bow. If Daxia’s cavalry met the Western Qiang on the field, they would surely be at a disadvantage.

Chen Mu asked, "Where are the enemy forces now?"

The new Persian king produced a map and pointed to the west of the city. "The former Persian king’s army is camped here. The Western Qiang’s whereabouts are unknown—they’re likely far from here. But their mobility is formidable; once battle breaks out, they can rush to the field from a great distance."

"Are they still attacking the city?" Chen Mu inquired.

"At first, they attacked daily," the new king replied. "But our defenses and siege weapons were well-prepared, and the enemy suffered heavy losses. In recent days, there have been no further assaults."

Chen Mu nodded. "Very well. Tomorrow, we’ll leave the city to meet them in open battle and begin our counterattack."

The next day, Chen Mu led thirty thousand troops and arrayed them west of the city. The Indomitable and Unyielding Flying Troops formed the center, cavalry on both flanks, and reserves positioned to the rear.

Upon receiving word, the former Persian king also led his army to the field. Though outnumbered—ten thousand against thirty thousand—he wore a relaxed expression.

He surveyed Daxia’s formations, rode forward a few steps, and shouted:

"Invaders from Daxia! Persia does not welcome you!"

"The puppet government you established has been defeated!"

"Persia now stands united; you have no hope of victory!"

A translator relayed the words to Chen Mu, who merely smiled and signaled for a reply in Persian.

"Daxia is a great and noble nation. Persia is our vassal state!"

"The Persian people live well under Daxia’s guidance!"

"You are the one who started this civil war—you deserve to be damned!"

The former Persian king, clearly agitated, hurled more insults in Persian, which the new king promptly returned.

Observing this, Chen Mu realized that the former king’s arrogance was because he was awaiting the Western Qiang army. Since they remained hidden, Chen Mu decided to force their hand—he would attack and draw them out.

At Chen Mu’s command, the Indomitable and Unyielding Flying Troops surged forward. The reserves moved up to fill the ranks, while the cavalry held position, waiting for the Western Qiang to appear.

The former Persian king refused to back down and ordered his entire force to advance.

Ten thousand on each side charged headlong into battle.

Chen Mu’s troops struck first, unleashing a volley of repeating crossbow bolts that crashed down upon the Persian ranks. Fierce though they were, the Persians pressed forward through the storm of arrows.

Soon, the two sides were locked in brutal hand-to-hand combat.

It was clear that the Persian border guards were indeed battle-hardened; they fought the elite Daxia troops to a standstill.

The new Persian recruits remained behind for now, yet to join the fray.

If the battle continued like this, the Persians would ultimately be defeated, but at great cost to Daxia’s forces as well.

However, Chen Mu had deliberately withheld his cavalry, anticipating a sudden strike from the Western Qiang. If his cavalry became entangled with Persian forces and the Western Qiang appeared, chaos would ensue.

Chen Mu waited, knowing the former Persian king would not risk committing all his troops here. If the Western Qiang delayed their arrival, the Persians would be the first to break and run.

Sure enough, before long, the former king grew restless, glancing repeatedly over his shoulder, while his soldiers became increasingly unsettled.

Seeing the change, Chen Mu immediately ordered the reserves to press forward and encircle the Persian army.

This move sent the Persians into panic. The main force at the front held their ground, but the new recruits in the rear began to retreat, dividing the army into two groups.

Chen Mu gave the order for the reserves to split the enemy, driving a wedge between the two Persian factions.

At that moment, the distant strains of the Qiang flute drifted across the field.

The former Persian king hastily rallied his men, bolstering morale. The Persian rear stiffened slightly, but only those directly engaged with the Daxia reserves fought back—the rest still hesitated, watching and waiting.